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Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache has stated that Max Verstappen would not support the plan to tune RB21's design similar to Racing Bulls' VCARB 02. He explained that while VCARB 02 was easier to handle, its race pace was nowhere close to the RB21.
Red Bull's 2025 season challenger, RB21, is a highly complicated car with severe reliability issues. Four-time world champion Verstappen has consistently complained that the car was difficult to drive and handle.
While the Dutchman has managed to win two races despite the reliability issues, his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who got promoted from VCARB, is still adjusting.
On the flip side, Red Bull's sister team, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls' challenger, VCARB 02, is much easier to handle. However, technical director Wache has clarified that the RB21 would not be aligned with VCARB 02 in the future due to Verstappen's opposition.
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Wache explained that making the car easier to drive would mean reducing its performance potential, and that’s not something they want to do, especially because Max Verstappen wouldn’t support that.
Talking to Motorsportweek, Wache said:
“We don’t need a copy of the Racing Bulls. I’m sure Max would not be happy if we offered him such a car. He is our main asset when it comes to results. We don’t want to make the car easier by reducing its overall potential."
The Racing Bulls car is easier to drive, but not as fast as RB21. Hence, Red Bull doesn’t want to sacrifice speed for comfort, especially when Verstappen can already handle the tough RB21.
Wache also hinted that the feedback from Yuki Tsunoda is unsatisfactory.
“As technical director, I need feedback from both drivers. The best would be if they were close together. That is not the case at the moment," Wache added.
Tsunoda started the season with Racing Bulls but was promoted to Red Bull for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen's woes are likely to intensify as Red Bull is unlikely to bring upgrades
This year, Red Bull is struggling to match up to McLaren. Their RB21 is unreliable and difficult to drive. However, despite Max Verstappen's troubles, the team is unlikely to bring any major upgrades for the rest of the season.
Red Bull's senior motorsport advisor Helmut Marko stated that once the team falls out of the championship race, their focus and resources will shift to 2026. In his Speedweek column, Marko wrote, via Racingnews365:
"We're working tirelessly on this and will continue to make small adjustments, but nothing major is planned. We've had some major updates in the past, such as a new underbody and new sidepods. But now it's more about the details. We'll continue developing as long as there's a chance in the world championship. After that, the focus will shift entirely to the 2026 project."
Max Verstappen slipped to third place in the championship race after a disaster in the Spanish Grand Prix. He crossed the checkered flag at P5, but due to a collision with George Russell, he was penalized with a 10-second time penalty, which dropped him to P10.
